Market overview

Lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI, CAS 171611-11-3) is the leading next-generation lithium salt for battery electrolytes. Compared with LiPF6 it offers higher conductivity, better thermal and hydrolytic stability and improved low-temperature and fast-charge performance, but it corrodes aluminium current collectors at high voltage, so it is mainly blended with LiPF6 rather than replacing it. Nippon Shokubai industrialised the process (2012 to 2013); Chinese producers have since announced enormous capacity, making LiFSI a textbook case of planned capacity running far ahead of demand.

Key figures at a glance
– Planned Chinese solid LiFSI capacity estimated at 400,000 t by 2025, from about 30 companies with mass-production plans (SMM, March 2023)
– Nippon Shokubai expanded from 300 t/yr to a 2,000 t/yr plant targeted for spring 2023 (Chemical Engineering)
– LiFSI market: USD 0.8 bn (2025) to USD 5.2 bn by 2034 at 22.5% CAGR; LiFSI priced roughly 3 to 5 times LiPF6 (Marketintelo)
– Producers in production include Tinci, Capchem, DFD (Do-Fluoride), Yongtai, Kangpeng, Suzhou Fluolyte and CATL-linked Sicong (SMM)

Recent developments among key stakeholders
– Apr 2025: Nippon Shokubai selected Kitakyushu for a JPY 37.5 bn electrolyte project including a 3,000 t/yr LiFSI plant (construction from January 2026, operations July 2028), with METI support of up to JPY 12.5 bn; its Chinese JV Hunan Fluopont is expanding LiFSI from 1,200 to 12,000 t/yr by March 2026 (Chemical Week)
– 2022 plan: Nippon Shokubai and Arkema agreed to pursue a LiFSI joint venture at Pierre-Benite, France, targeting production by end-2025 (Business Wire)
– H1 2026: Tinci Materials net profit rose about 968% to CNY 2.861 bn; Tinci has signed long-term electrolyte supply agreements totalling over 3.4 Mt (SMM; Pandaily)

What this means for the market
Japan, China and Europe are all subsidising LiFSI capacity, while Chinese leaders lock in multi-year volume. The report tests whether demand can absorb this capacity, and at what price.

How published estimates compare
Marketintelo’s 22.5% CAGR assumes LiFSI’s share of the salt mix keeps rising quickly; planned Chinese capacity of 400,000 t, however, far exceeds any realistic near-term demand, which compresses price and therefore value. Market Krystal models demand by cell chemistry and LiFSI blend ratio, models price against cost curves and utilisation, and shows how volume can grow strongly while market value grows much more slowly.

What this report delivers
Annual volume (tonnes) and value (USD) for 2026-2035, segmented by application: EV cells, energy storage, consumer cells, sodium-ion and solid-state research; form: solid vs. solution; grade: battery, industrial; region: China, Japan, South Korea, Europe, North America. Each segment is backed by a producer capacity table, price benchmarks for 2020-2025 by grade and region, trade-flow analysis and a supplier risk map. Companies assessed include Nippon Shokubai, Tinci Materials, Chunbo, Capchem, Do-Fluoride (DFD), Yongtai Technology, Solvay, Kangpeng. The 2036-2047 outlook uses three explicit scenarios (base, constrained supply and technology transition) rather than a single extrapolated curve.

Methodology and transparency
Every third-party figure in this report is cited to its source. Market Krystal estimates are labelled as such, with the volume, price and share assumptions behind them shown in the supporting Excel model, so buyers can audit and adjust them. Where public sources conflict, the report shows the range and explains which evidence it relies on.

The purchased delivery includes the PDF report, Excel datasets and customization around the buyer’s priority region, company set, application or commercial question.

What this research answers

The study connects production routes, named suppliers, applications, regional demand, trade, pricing drivers and commercial opportunities for this CAS number. Detailed estimates and company analysis remain inside the purchased report.